You Don't Remember How I Feel
By Doug Helm and "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl
Those characters that are original and the story "You Don't Remember How
I Feel" are copyrighted (c) 1999 by Douglas Helm & Will Wolfshohl.
This fanfic and hundreds of other Sailor Moon fanfics reside in "Tuxedo"
Will's SM Fanfics Archive at http://members.xoom.com/questails/gateway.htm
and http://rivendell.fortunecity.com/traveller/861/
Send comments to: Douglas "Candle Light Author" Helm (dhelm@log.on.ca)
or "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl (wwolfshohl@logicon.com)
Chapter 16 - All Good Things...
The early morning sunlight washed over Crystal Tokyo while a few puffy
clouds dotted an otherwise blue sky. The flow of traffic and pedestrians
along the magnificent tree lined boulevards of Crystal Tokyo began to
increase.
King Endymion's eyes crept open and he blearily stared at the clock that
sat on his nightstand. After a moment, he squinted at the clock again
for a moment to make sure it really said seven-thirty. Turning his head,
he felt surprised to find that instead of Usagi hugging him, it was
Misako. How that had come about during the night Endymion did not know.
Gently disentangling himself, he slid from the bed and entered the
bathroom to prepare for the day. Several minutes later, after having
showered, shaven, and dressed, Endymion came back out to the bedroom to
find the rest of his family still sound asleep.
Quietly leaving the room, Endymion slipped down the hallway to the
private entrance to get the morning newspaper. With paper in hand, he
headed for the kitchen to make some breakfast.
******
He had managed to work his way through the entire morning paper before
Endymion realized that he was still the only one awake. Glancing at the
clock, he noticed that it was well after eight. Putting the paper on the
dining room table, Endymion got up and headed for the master bedroom.
A few moments later, he was just about to push open the master bedroom
door when the private entrance door chime sounded. Endymion wondered as he moved down the hallway. Upon opening the
door, he found Mizuno Ami standing patiently outside. "Ohayo
Mizuno-sensei."
"Ohayo, Your Majesty, may I come in?" Endymion nodded and stepped aside.
Once inside and the door closed she said, "I hope I'm not disturbing
you."
"Iie, I'm afraid Usagi, Serenity, and Misako are still asleep. I'll go
hustle them out of bed."
"That's all right, Your Majesty," Ami answered, "I just wanted to
deliver the results of the tests I conducted yesterday. May we go
someplace private?"
"Hai," Endymion replied and led her down the hallway and across the
living room to the study. He opened the door and after entering, waited
for Ami to enter before closing the door. "Perhaps, I should get
Serenity."
"As you wish, Your Majesty, although Serenity-sama might not thank you
for it," Ami remarked with a smile.
"Well... she was up late," Endymion defended. He thought for a moment
before adding, "I'll just slip out and get her."
"I'll wait here if I may." Endymion nodded and slipped from the room.
******
Neo-Queen Serenity walked into the study and smiled. "Ohayo, Ami-chan,
not at school today?"
"Ohayo, Your Majesty," Ami greeted while bowing, "I have some other
duties to attend to."
"Well I... we won't keep you long then. Please sit down," Serenity
directed while taking a chair and pulling it up to Ami. "Is there a
problem, Ami-chan? I don't think you would have came by here this early
if there wasn't."
Ami shuffled some pages for a moment before saying, "Physically, Usagi
and Misako are healthy six year olds. It's their mental state that
concerns me." Serenity gave Endymion a worried look.
"Do you mean from when they were adults?" Endymion asked, "Serenity and
I tried to find out if anything was bothering the girls... especially
Misako because of her age."
"In that respect, Your Majesties, I don't think you need to worry," Ami
explained, "The transformation that Usagi underwent was not very
dramatic. I was concerned about Misako's recent situations, however,
those memories appear to be fading."
"You mean she's repressing them, ne?" Serenity asked.
Ami shook her head and furrowed her brow for a moment before saying,
"Iie, Your Majesties, as far as I can tell, Misako's memories are
fading. I don't think she's repressing them; it's more like she's
dreamed the entire incident." Giving the Royal Couple a serious look,
Ami asked, "Ne, have either of the Princesses displayed any strange or
unusual behavior recently?"
Serenity and Endymion looked at each other seriously for a long moment
before Endymion said, "Misako seems to be more emotional than she
usually is. Usagi... Well... She seems to want to be around Serenity.
Like she's not as independent."
"That's true," Serenity conceded, "I think both of them have gotten into
their roles of being six year olds. Do you think their physical bodies
are effecting them, Ami-chan?" She gave Ami a worried look.
"Iie. At least, not to a significant extent, Serenity-sama," Ami
replied, "But I do think you should change the girls back as soon as
possible. Not because there is any real danger, at least at the moment,
but because it will become harder for them to adapt back into the REAL
world."
******
"Usagi-chan, please stop kicking your chair," Serenity admonished as she
sat at the dining room table.
"Okay," Usagi conceded and ate another spoonful of her cereal. "Ne, Mom,
what's wrong?" When her parents gave her blank looks, she continued,
"Well, you two have been looking glum since Mizuno-sensei left." She
hoped that wasn't an ominous sign.
Serenity carefully wiped her mouth and put her napkin down before
saying, "Your father and I have been putting off the discussion about
your punishments... Ami feels that we need to return you to your normal
selves as quickly as possible."
"Why?" Usagi asked while giving Misako a worried look.
"Yeah, it's been a great week," Misako affirmed.
"But you wouldn't want to be six all the time, ne?" Serenity asked.
"Iie," Misako sighed, "I guess it did have to end."
"Yeah," Usagi agreed with some glumness, "It was kinda nice having you
guys around all the time."
"Gee thanks," Endymion remarked with a hint of sarcasm.
"You know what I mean, Dad," Usagi huffed and resisted the urge to stick
her tongue out.
Endymion smiled, "Hai... I do. It's been nice to spend time with you
girls. It's been nice to spend time with Usako." Serenity smiled
slightly. "And I hate to be the ogre."
"Who's being the ogre?" Serenity asked, "We both are responsible for
punishing our girls."
"So you've come up with our punishments?" Usagi asked. Part of her
wanted to know. Another part wouldn't mind going on like this for a few
more days.
"Iie," Serenity replied, "We still have to discuss that." She turned to
Misako and said, "Anything wrong, Miko-chan? You've been awfully quiet."
Misako shrugged a little then responded, "Nothin''s wrong, Mom. I just
don't have anything to add." She smiled a little and added, "'Sides, you
guys brought up punishments so I just started to pretend I wasn't in the
room."
Serenity snickered. "Well, girls, if you're done, you can take your
dishes out and get ready for your homework session."
"We gotta clean 'Sagi's bunny first," Misako announced.
"I can do that, Miko-chan," Endymion offered.
"You wrecked enough teddy bears." Endymion raised an eyebrow and Misako
blushed deeply. "Well, you WERE Usagi."
"Don't worry about it, Miko-chan. It's not that big a deal," Usagi
countered. Misako was not about to be put off though, no matter what her
parents or sister said.
******
Usagi looked up from her homework as her mother came into the room.
"Mom, is Misako still standing guard over that washing machine?"
"Hai," Serenity said, "How are you doing?"
"Okay," Usagi said and then sighed, "If Imouto was looking to lay a
serious guilt trip on me, it's working." When Serenity looked
questioningly at her, she gave another sigh and said, "She's going out
of her way to make up for an accident. I was never this nice to her
teddy bears. Kami-sama, when I tried to wash hers, they just fell
apart."
"What about that one?" Serenity asked while pointing at Misako's teddy
bear that Usagi was protectively holding.
"I'm keeping a close eye on this one. Misako'd kill me if anything
happened to it." Usagi frowned a little and asked, "Ne... did you or Dad
buy this?" while holding up the green teddy bear.
"Iie, Usagi-chan, we thought you did," Serenity responded as she sat
down, "You didn't?" Usagi shook her head. "Well, probably Misako bought
it herself."
"She never said anything to me, Mom," Usagi replied. Turning back to her
homework, she added, "I wish Misako would hurry up."
"Don't worry, Mesume, Misako will make sure your bunny rabbit is fine."
"Iie, not that, Mom. I want her to help me with this history
assignment," Usagi said, "That and the sooner she finishes her homework,
the quicker we can play a good game of Youma Catch."
Serenity was about to respond when Misako came running in with the
stuffed bunny. Misako held it out hopefully to her sister. "'Sagi-chan,
here it is!" Usagi turned and stared at the stuffed rabbit. Misako took
on a worried expression when her sister didn't say anything, "Ne,
Onee-chan, what's the matter? It's okay, ne?"
"It's... Domo arigato, Miko-chan," Usagi said and took the rabbit. She glanced over at Misako's teddy bear and
felt a new wave of guilt wash over her.
******
Serenity finished rinsing out the sink as her husband dried the last of
the dishes from lunch. Drying her hands, she observed, "The girls are
awfully quiet, Endymion, I wonder what they're up to?"
"Last I saw them, they were headed for Usagi's bedroom," Endymion
replied as he wiped his own hands. "Why don't we go take a look."
"Hai," Serenity agreed and led the way out of the kitchen and through
the living room. Turning to her right, she walked down the hallway and
peeked into Misako's room but it was empty. Continuing onto her eldest
daughter's room, she paused outside the bedroom door and knocked. After
a moment, she opened the door and looked inside.
"Endymion," Serenity beckoned softly, "Come look at this."
Endymion came up behind Serenity and peered into the bedroom.
"Kawaii..." he said softly. Both Usagi and Misako were curled up on the
bed fast asleep.
Serenity softly pulled the bedroom door closed and smiled. "Why don't we
go talk?" Endymion nodded and they made their way to the master bedroom.
"So what do you want to talk about, Serenity?" Endymion asked while he
walked to the bed and sat down. Serenity gracefully glided across the
floor and flopped down on her stomach beside her husband. "Would you
like a neck rub?"
"Please," Serenity said and then sighed, "What are we going to do with
the girls?"
"I suppose grounding them is the most we can do," Endymion decided, "The
problem is the Senshi Council hasn't ruled yet." He began to massage his
wife's shoulders. "Did you have something more in mind?"
"Well..." Serenity began slowly, "I do think there's one way to stop
Usagi from messing with the Ginzuishou again. You'd have to agree to it
though."
"What's the plan?" Endymion asked as he started to work his way up
towards his wife's neck.
Serenity was silent for a long time and then she said, "I'll tell you
but first, I want to settle a couple of things." She paused for a moment
and then said, "Firstly, I think you're right, grounding is the only
viable thing we can do really. I figure two months for both of them will
be sufficient. It's the Senshi Council that really worries me,
Endymion." Serenity was silent for a moment longer then she added, "And
I think we need to make time for ourselves. Not just you and me but the
entire family. At least twice a month." She rolled over and looked up at
Endymion, "But the girls will have to agree with that."
"I think they will, Serenity," Endymion said with a smile. He pulled
Serenity up and gave her a gentle kiss, "Now, what's this plan to keep
Usagi from fooling around with the Ginzuishou?"
"Let me tell you everything about it first," Serenity requested. When
Endymion nodded, she launched into her proposal.
******
An hour or so later, Endymion and Serenity left the master bedroom.
"I'll go get the girls," Endymion stated and walked down the hallway to
Usagi's room. He stopped at the doorway and said, "They aren't here."
Serenity walked to Misako's bedroom and looked in, "Not here either."
She was about to turn towards the living room when she heard a shriek.
Running over to the window, she looked outside and felt her jaw swing
open in surprise. Misako and Usagi were wrestling for control of the
garden hose and both were getting thoroughly drenched in the process.
"Endymion! I found them!" Serenity called, her voice holding a note of
exasperation.
"What was that yell?" Endymion asked as he came into Misako's bedroom.
When his wife pointed out the window, he came over to see what the
commotion was. "I don't believe it!" he exclaimed.
Turning, Serenity marched from the room, down the hall and over to the
backyard door. Opening the door, she bellowed, "Usagi! Misako! Put down
that hose this instant!" Both little girls froze where they stood; the
hose continued to shoot a steady stream of water into the air. "I said
put that thing down now!" Both let the hose go and started to look
rather guilty. "Now what were you doing?"
"Youma Catch!" Misako answered, "Not enough mud."
"Iie! There's plenty of it!" Usagi argued.
Serenity came out onto the deck and inspected the ground, "Usagi, turn
off the water. I don't want you two to catch cold so come in and
change."
"But Mooooom, we're playin'!" Misako protested.
"Then play, but no water," Serenity admonished while taking a seat on
the deck. "The sun is nice and warm so you'll likely be all right."
she mused then shook it
off. Endymion came out to join her, a smirk plastered on his face.
******
Usagi felt her heart beating rapidly as she tensed. Misako had her
backed into a corner of the yard and it would only be by some miracle
that she wouldn't lose yet another round to her sister. "You cheat!" she
taunted. Of course, Misako didn't cheat but she hoped it would throw her
sister off-balance. She started inching her way to the left but halted
as Misako lifted the ball.
"You cheat too, 'Sagi, so we're even!"
Usagi muttered darkly under her breath for a moment before smiling. "I
know what your bear's name is."
"Nani?!?" Misako asked, her posture relaxing slightly.
"I said I know what your bear's name
is," Usagi gloated, "It isn't even a girl bear!"
"How do you know it isn't a girl?" Misako demanded as she narrowed her
eyebrows.
"'Cause, Imouto," Usagi whispered with an evil grin, "Its name is
Senji!" Misako's face darkened and she gave a cry of outrage.
Usagi thought. She closed her
eyes and just hoped this particular shot wouldn't hurt very much.
"Hold it!" a high-pitched voice demanded.
Usagi slowly opened one eye and then the other.
Usagi wondered in puzzlement as she noticed a little girl smaller than
her with golden hair that were done up in odangos and pigtails. She was
extremely cute and looked like their little sister. The problem was they
didn't have another sister! Usagi thought as she opened the
other eye and stared,
Usagi's suspicions were confirmed when Misako wailed, "Mom! You wrecked
my shot!"
"I want in!" Serenity demanded in a high-pitched voice.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" Usagi demanded. Serenity turned
around to face Usagi and looked up at her, "And how old are you anyway,
Mom?"
"I used the Disguise Pen to make myself five," Serenity squeaked then
demanded, "I wanna play too." She noticed the worried look Usagi gave
Misako so added, "Iie, I haven't regressed, Mesume. I just want to
play."
"You spoiled a perfectly good game! I had Misako on the ropes!" Usagi
shouted. Misako bristled at that remark.
"Gomen," Serenity apologized softly and looked towards the ground.
Misako thought she detected her mother's odangos drooping just a bit.
"This is me 'n' Misako's game," Usagi argued sternly, "You just wanna
suck up!"
"'Sagi!" Misako hissed sounding almost scandalized.
"Well, she's never wanted to play before," Usagi whined.
"Not like we ever asked her, 'Sagi," Misako retorted.
"Please, Usagi-chan," Serenity pleaded, "I wanna play this. I've been
watching and it looks like lotsa fun." Usagi looked rather dubious so
she turned to Misako. "Miko-chan, I'm not trying to `suck up'...
honest."
"What do you say about it, 'Sagi-chan?" Misako prompted, "I believe
Mom."
"Okay..." Usagi agreed after a long silence, "But what about the game we
were playing?"
"A draw?" Misako offered.
Usagi mulled that over and then shook her head. "I'll offer a surrender,
Imouto. You would've had me."
"I accept," Misako replied, "Well, let's get started. Mom, you can help
'Sagi out."
"I think you 'n' Mom should work together," Usagi retorted as she walked
around her tiny mother. Misako snorted. "You're gonna need her help."
"Yeah, right, 'Sagi-chan. Look, who's ahead in this game?"
"You are..." Usagi admitted reluctantly. Sighing, she suggested to her
diminutive mother, "Hai, maybe you should make yourself six."
"Iie," Serenity squeaked.
"Then just stay out of my way, little girl," Usagi replied and tromped
across the soggy ground. Misako was about
to say something but her mother just shook her head and gave Usagi a sad
look. None of them noticed Endymion was watching in shocked puzzlement.
******
The ensuing minutes did little to improve Usagi's foul mood. In fact,
they seemed to darken it considerably. At the current moment, she was
trying to take out her frustrations out on the ball she clenched in her
hands. she seethed. It
wasn't that Usagi didn't like playing Youma Catch, or the fact that
Misako more often than not won their games, she felt frustrated because
her mother was showing her up at a game Serenity hadn't even played
before that day. The fact that she was being made to look silly in front
of both her sister and her father wasn't helping matters.
Usagi thought angrily as she whipped the
ball towards her mother who, yet again, dodged it. This game was Misako and her invention.
In Usagi's opinion, their mother didn't have any business in wanting to
play THEIR game.
Momentarily, she was pulled away from her thoughts when she noticed that
Misako recovered the ball. Unlike Serenity, whom Usagi saw as less of a
threat, her little sister was a different matter. Usagi felt her
frustration level rise when she realized that her mother was maneuvering
around behind her. This meant that Misako was actually teaming up with
their young mother! Ordinarily, this would make Usagi happy but her
mother's intrusion into something that she viewed as private negated any
such feelings of joy.
Usagi pondered, Her mother's small size
proved more of an advantage than she had first believed. Serenity's
shots weren't much of a threat, however, she was almost impossible to
hit. Then a thought occurred to Usagi. Grinning evilly, she backed up
but made sure to move close to her mother. Misako raised her arm to
throw but then hesitated. "What's the matter? Chicken?!"
Misako frowned a little. "Iie," the little blonde-white haired girl
responded, "Why are you running away?"
"Am not," the strawberry-blonde protested but she took another step
backwards, even closer to her mother. Misako stuck her tongue out so
Usagi replied in kind. "Miko-chan, do you need somebody to help you win
this game? What would Senji-kun think?"
"Usagi..." Misako hissed warningly as she lifted the ball into firing
position.
Usagi thought, Tensing, she waited a
split-second more. Then, when Misako released the ball, she reached out
and grabbing her tiny mother, jerked her forwards towards its path.
Serenity, not expecting such a reaction from her eldest daughter, gave a
high-pitched squeal and toppled forward.
"Mom!" Misako cried out but it was too late. The ball ricocheted off of
little Serenity's forehead with a thwack. She staggered backwards a
couple of steps before plopping to the ground.
Usagi thought. Her silent plea went unrequited.
Instead, Serenity just sat there, looking stunned.
"Serenity?" Endymion's voice questioned with some worry. Usagi turned to
see her father starting to come down from the deck.
"I-I'm fine," Serenity said with as much confidence as she could muster.
Her voice quavered and Usagi thought she could see unshed tears in her
mother's eyes but that was all. Usagi received an even greater shock
when Serenity turned to her teammate and asked, "So am I out,
Miko-chan?"
"Um... I don't know, Mom," Misako admitted and then glared at Usagi.
"Nani?" Usagi questioned. There was a red
mark forming on Serenity's forehead and the little girl rubbed it
tenderly. Guilt then washed over Usagi.
"That was kinda low, 'Sagi-chan, and you call me `chicken'," Misako
remarked as she helped her five year old mother up. "Are you okay, Mom?"
Serenity was silent for a long moment before answering, "Hai, I think I
was just startled." Grinning a little, she added, "I needed a rest
anyway. I haven't ran like that since I was fighting Youma." Misako
giggled at this and her mother smiled. "No harm done, Usagi-chan. Don't
look so gloomy. I'm not mad at you. It's just part of the game, ne?"
"I think you should apologize, Onee-chan," Misako suggested as she
turned to look at Usagi while placing a comforting arm around her
mother.
Usagi blinked, not at Misako's request but at what she was seeing.
Feeling more than a little unsure of herself, Usagi turned and retrieved
the ball from where it was laying on the ground. After a few moments,
she turned back to look at her mother and sister and couldn't help but
smile. "This ain't fair," she complained, "I gotta compete against TWO
Misakos." Except for the difference in height and hair color, Serenity
and Misako were almost a perfect copy of each other. Usagi decided.
"Minna, are we gonna stand around talking or we gonna play?" Serenity
demanded.
"Mom, don't you wanna stop?" Usagi asked in surprise. She got a sharp
look from Misako but ignored it.
"Only if I'm out. So, am I?" Serenity gave Usagi a hopeful look.
After a long moment of thought, Usagi shrugged, "Guess not."
The rest of that game went fairly smoothly until Serenity scraped her
knee diving out of the way of an attack. While that did bring some
tears, she was rather indignant when Endymion came off of the deck and
tried to talk her into coming inside. Once Endymion had returned to his
observation post, Serenity returned to the game with all the vigor her
youthful body could provide.
Eventually though, Usagi called a halt to the game, "I surrender, I
surrender!"
"That's not very Senshi-like," Serenity noted.
"You two are too good for me, Mom," Usagi conceded, "I have enough of a
problem with just Misako. It's even worse having to keep up with you
both. You two are a good team."
"Arigato!" both Misako and Serenity chorused.
"So should we accept it?" Misako asked.
"Hai!" Serenity chirped then asked, "Can we play again, Mesume?"
Misako looked at Usagi who shrugged. "Sure," Misako agreed, "But this
time you be on 'Sagi's team... just to make it even."
"Oh... you're gonna pay for that," Usagi hissed as she came closer, "So
who gets first ball?"
******
Misako thought a few minutes later. She
was running as fast as she could with Usagi and Serenity in full
pursuit. Her mother's shorter legs were making it difficult for her to
keep up but she was doing her best. She was not the clumsy teen Misako
remembered from the past. Although
seeing Serenity performing a desperate dive to the ground was still a
little disconcerting to Misako. She had
briefly thought about trying to get her father into the game to even
things but she had dismissed that idea.
The little girl gave a cry of surprise as Serenity suddenly appeared in
front of her. "Nani?!" Misako squealed as her mother lunged into the air
and slammed into Misako, causing her to stagger backwards. The smaller
girl wrapped her arms around Misako with all the strength she could
muster and held on for dear life.
"Lemme go!" Misako hissed out but Serenity just shook her head. It was an effective tactic. Slow down your opponent so
your teammate could get a shot in. There was no way she could dodge effectively with her mother
holding tightly onto her.
"Usagi!!!!" the five year old howled, causing her captive to wince, "I
can't hang on much longer!"
Misako thought, Serenity gave a little cry of surprise when Misako
came to a sudden stop. For one hair raising moment, Serenity thought
that Misako would topple over and crush her before her youngest daughter
could regain her balance.
"Did you get hit?" Serenity asked. She hadn't heard the ball tag Misako.
"Iie," Misako answered with a frown as she turned around. "What gives?"
she asked her sister. Usagi had allowed the ball to drop the ground and
had started walking towards the deck.
******
"I don't wanna play no more," Usagi whined and then added in lamely,
"'Sides, it's nearly naptime."
"You can't give up, Usagi-chan. I'll never win!" Serenity called to her
teammate.
Usagi whirled around and glared towards her mother. "Who cares? Not like
anybody asked you to play!" Emotions whirled inside Usagi as she fought
the urge to cry. Usagi was so used to Misako being unhappy with their mother
that this change was disconcerting. Both Serenity and Misako stared at
her with open mouths. Taking a deep breath, Usagi sighed. "Gomen nasai,"
she apologize softly, "I... I'm kinda glad you played, Mom."
"Honto?" Serenity questioned while mild anxiety played across her face.
"Hai..." Usagi admitted. Usagi had at first thought that Serenity had just been trying to
suck up but now, things appeared to be different.
"You just wanna give up 'cause you were losing!" Misako stated
emphatically.
"Was not!" Usagi shot back.
"You weren't?" Misako asked dubiously, "I don't believe that, 'Sagi, or
you wouldn't've quit."
Usagi marched back over to the ball and snatched it up. Just as suddenly
though, she threw it back down and turned away. Their mother had caused them so much pain, but a part of Usagi
yearned for her mother. Misako seemed to believe
Senerity had the best of intentions.
"So I can have fun with you and not her," Usagi retorted. "I didn't ask
her to play." Usagi clenched her fists and tried to take deep breaths to
calm herself.
"Come and play, Usagi-chan," Serenity implored, "Then we can all take a
nap together." She was starting to feel tired herself.
"Didn't you hear me? I don't wanna play anymore," Usagi whined while
turning away and beginning to walk towards the stairs once again. Tears
welled up but Usagi managed to hold them back. But she was so confused. One part of her wanted to play
with Serenity and Misako; another part of her wanted nothing to do with
her mother. But it was her heart that wanted... desperately needed a
mother. It was too much to hope for
in some ways.
"Come on, 'Sagi-chan, I was having fun..." Serenity complained as she
released her hold and Misako and slipped to the ground.
Usagi whirled around, her eyes blazing with ice cold anger. "What did
you call me?!?" she hissed out.
"Gomen," Serenity squeaked, "What's the matter, Usagi-chan?"
"Nothin'," Usagi said as she stared at the ground. She kicked a nearby
pebble and watched it skitter away through the grass. Then she heard the
soft padding of feet and when she looked up, she found Serenity and
Misako walking towards her. When Serenity reached out, as if to hug
Usagi, the older girl stepped back and wrinkled up her nose.
******
Misako thought as she watched Usagi take a
step backwards. "Nani?
You ruined a perfectly good game so we can take a nap?"
"It wasn't a good game, Misako," Usagi stated petulantly, "Mom was
holdin' you back."
"You never said I couldn't use physical contact to slow our opponent
down."
"You didn't want her to hold me back?" Misako asked in as skeptical a
tone as she could manage, "Onee-chan, have you lost your mind?!"
"WE don't play that way," Usagi retorted.
Misako wondered.
"Well, I didn't know that, Usagi-chan," Serenity confessed, "I suppose
if you had told..."
"You should have known!" Usagi shouted.
"How, Usagi-chan?" Misako asked, "Mom's never played with us before."
"THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT!" Usagi raged. She raised her eyes skyward and
uttered a loud, long suffering sigh. Shaking her head, she added in a
softer tone, "You just can't see it. Mom never wanted to do this type of
thing... until now."
Misako held her breath. Usagi's eyes glistened with unshed tears. Misako thought desperately. She
nodded her head slightly, trying to encourage her sister. She hated to see her sister suffer.
"I don't understand," Usagi said stubbornly, more to herself than to
anyone in particular.
"What don't you understand, Mesume?" Serenity asked.
"Why you came out here, why you wanted to be with Misako when you never
did before," Usagi sniffled. Misako frowned slightly before quickly
wiping it away.
"Usagi, Misako..." Serenity began and then she paused while looking over
to where her husband was standing by the bottom of the stairs. "I think
it's time we talked."
"About what, Mom?" Misako asked.
"Why I did what I did," Serenity answered simply before walking towards
the deck. A moment later, her daughters followed her.
End of Chapter 16
To be concluded in Chapter 17 - New Beginnings